What’s this? 6 months in…

Aka covid fatigue…Can we add that to the urban dictionary?

I admit that being so isolated has impacted my daily life. I miss church and church events. I miss volunteering at local events and charities. And I so miss visiting with my son and grandson.

Plus masks make my nose itch.

While I’m grateful that my family, artwork, home, and my sewing hobby keep me somewhere above the depressed line, I do have my difficult days. I was totally grumpy yesterday! and actually took a second anti-depressant in the afternoon (something that is OK’d, my dosage is very very low).

Something that doesn’t change is attention to my health. While it’s a bit weird to go to the hospital and wait in the parking lot for an escort, I just keep on keeping on. I guess this post is a bit of a reminder. Things get a bit graphic after this…

I had a positive result on a Cologuard test, had a colonoscopy, lots of polyps, several neoplastic. It left me horribly constipated and my doctor is working with me on that. I need to get that gastric muscle moving. And of course I have followup appointments. Seeing doctors has become a social event for me 🙂

I’ve had multiple chest CT’s (for a mycobacterial lung infection) and carotid sonograms. Things get clogged. I’ve started new meds that cost a small fortune for my lungs and arteries. But, what the heck, I’ll live longer.

My hospital clinic, incredibly, does not have the senior high-dose flu shot, it’s in high demand, so I went to my pharmacy today to get it. And the first of 2 injections for shingles. The latter is something I do not want to have. With my scleroderma, the herpetic nerve damage from shingles could be devastating.

Starting another med for cholesterol. After 4 years on a DASH diet, I need some help. It is expensive!! even at the lowest dose possible.

Skip this if sqeemish…

At my age I’ve been experiencing some bladder leakage at night while sleeping. It left me with a diaper rash! I’m now using Poise liners and a prescription cream from my lovely doctor.

Next steps – I’m going to take some pics, no makeup or hair fix, just to get back in touch. I’ve sewn some delightful garments and want to share them.

How are you guys doing? for now – Coco 🙂

Tessuti Margot Pants

I’m in love with these pants! and I owe mine to Angela at ‘Collected Yarns’. I recently came across a pic she posted on IG, and I immediately ordered the pattern. Subsequent research yielded no reviews of the pattern, so I knew I was in for some fun.

I think the ankle ties are great – a bit eccentric, a little funky 🙂

Fabric: Kaufman Essex linen in natural, Fabric.com. Top: Ogden cami in Kaufman Brussels Washer linen, also Fabric.com

Sewing notes:

• I thought the sizing was tricky. A sizing chart is provided, but it doesn’t indicate if the measurements are one’s bod or the finished garment. In the end, after measuring several sizes on the pattern, I drafted the size Small.

• My major adjustments were to the crotch and rise. I know I need a 27″ crotch (back 15.5″, front 11.5″), and I routinely flatten the back crotch to match my flat backside and avoid bunching in that area. BTW, the waistline is very scooped, high in the back and low in the front. My changes leveled it, and it sits at my natural waistline.

• I’m 5’7 1/2″ tall and the length is perfect on me. The size Small has a 36″ outseam, so I recommend caution before cutting the ankle tie detail!

• The pattern has no pockets! so I added single-layer pockets to the fronts. They’re sewn into the waist and side seams, and are super easy to do. (I’m not fond of in-seam pockets on pants…).

Pics!

I hope this finds you well and looking forward to a nice weekend.

Bye for now – Coco

Style Arc Adeline dress revisit

As summer goes on and on, I’m experiencing garment fatigue – I’m tired of many of the dresses I’ve worn over and over to beat the heat. Time for a change-up!

I haven’t sewn this pattern since 2017, post here, mostly because there have been so many fun indie releases over the last few years. But this one has great bones. I love the high-low hemline – it’s beautifully drafted.

The hem detail really shows well because of the deep hem band facings.

Sewing notes (I’ll revisit some from the original post):

• I sewed the size 10, perfect length(I’m 5′ 71/2″).

• My fabric is from STOF, mini Pitaya noir, purchased on Fabric.com. The pattern suggests drapey fabrics, but I prefer the weight of cotton to showcase the design.

• As before, I changed (1) the pitch of the shoulder/sleeve, and (2) the shape of the underarm curve, to be more comfortable (original pics, first post).

• The pattern has a lovely cocoon shape, but it’s very narrow at the hem. I’ve added 1/2″ at the hemline, front and back, drawn up to meet the curve just below the lower hip. This extra width makes a huge difference in the stride-abilty. If you do this, remember to redraft the hem facings!

• Last change, I removed 3″ from the sleeve length and turned it with a 1 1/2″ hem. No cuffs for me, it’s just personal preference and a dislike of ironing cuffs 🙂

My thoughts are with all those being impacted by storms this weekend. And as always, I hope this finds you well.

Bye for now, Coco

Pattern Emporium Heartlight Skirt

Recreating a favorite skirt – I had a similar Calvin Klein skirt back in the 80’s!

I came across the pattern by chance while cruising knit skirts on Pinterest. I purchased it right away, ordered a couple lengths of cotton lycra knit fabric from Girl Charlee, and set about making a muslin. If you look at the multitude of examples on the Pattern Emporium site, you will see that it has been sewn and worn in many ways.

My muslin (only 16″ long) is a straight size 10 based on my measurements. I even played with a pocket on one side.

The muslin was soooo helpful. In the end I used the size 14 waistband and blended the 10/12/14 for the skirt.

I love the way this sits on the hips…

Style Arc Elsie blouse

Sewing notes:

• I drafted the ‘tall’ maxi and removed 2″ at the hemline once the skirt was constructed. The ‘medium’ maxi would have been just a little short for me (5′ 7.5″).
• Before hemming, the front got an additional trim. It dipped a bit, the result of how it sits on me, not at all due to the pattern drafting.
• My lower skirt has a little less volume than the original – I folded in the side rather than sew in a ‘hem adjustment’ piece, as suggested in the pattern. That sounds weird, kind of like a gusset in a strange place. The skirt is so wide at the hem that losing a few inches is nothing.

• I used my walking foot to sew all my seams and finished them with serging. Yes, one could serge the entire skirt for a one hour wonder 🙂 IMO, however, the weight of the bias would cause sagging if only a serger is used.

• The hem can be challenging on a nearly-circular skirt!. I ran a line of long stitches 3/4″ from the edge, serged it, and used the line as a guide for turning the fold. Two lines of topstitching make a nice finish.

This was fun, and as you can see in the photos, I tend to make a mess when I’m into a project. Somehow my dining room has become a natural extension of the sewing room since I’m the only person allowed in the house 🙂

I hope you are well and feeling loved, bye for now, Coco

A makeup lesson (I goofed)

OK, I made the classic mistake of holding on to makeup for ages, way past any expiration date, and I paid the price.

I was playing with eyeshadows, extreme looks, fun looks, about 10 days ago. All my makeup was 2 or more years old. And many of the eyeshadows were metallic. I developed a sty on one eyelid and a pouch under the same eye. And the eye has been watering like crazy.

Remedy – warm compresses, cleansing, drops. And a trip to the wastebasket for everything except my excellent collection of brushes, which have been cleaned.

Replacements (I’ve trusted Neutrogena products for years, that foundation toss was one of my all time favorites for mature skin, it’s terrific, no settling in lines or caking). And the concealer has great reviews, not drying.

I had been using powder eyeshadow with a primer, both E.L.F. But I’ve read that cream eyeshadow is much more suitable for ‘old’ lids. So I ordered two color palettes from Revlon – the product has great reviews on Allure.com. The first has some skin tones, the second has some playtime. I like these colors with my white hair.

Last item, a relacement for my favorite cream blusher, tried and true, in Candy Kiss.

All from Amazon, all available from the drugstore, and total cost under $45. I’m so looking forward to makeup playtime again!

Ciao – Coco

Mid-week short chat

It’s once again that time of year, tropical storms and hurricanes. After over 30 years in Florida, I don’t panic, I just go to the grocery store! Done and done…

Sewing: My son’s linen ‘Hawaiian’ shirt is finished, pending a fitting and button placement. He’s in Banner Elk, NC, due to come back on the weekend. He and his ‘crew’ drove up to avoid Covid concerns, long drive from Orlando, so I hope he has a decent drive on return. Heavy rain in Florida tends to be a whiteout, difficult driving.

This is wonderful men’s casual shirt pattern, Kwik Sew 2935. Here’s the one I made my DSIL a few years ago, also in Brussels Washer. You might have to do a search to find it now, but it’s worth the effort!

Having finished my kitchen glass door, which has a wooden frame, with frosted film, I find that every one of my rotary blades is dull. I took a moment to order blades just a while ago, I love Amazon. These are incredible prices, if they don’t last a long time, I don’t care 🙂

Tomorrow I will get myself in gear and go to Sherwin Williams for black paint for the front oak door. I’m ready to be done with painting!

I hope this finds you well and engaged in fun in-home diversions. For now, Coco

I’m so busy!

Look familiar? My kitchen is my staging area for all kinds of painting, my only issue is that all the stuff is in front of my coffee maker!

The bathroom vanity – it was not an easy upgrade, because painting stained wood is giant pain. This vanity was ’80s oak, a Thomasville cabinet, so it was worth the effort. It looks so high end now! Black paint, new hardware 🙂

Speaking of black paint, I’m actually painting all my exterior doors black as well. They are all stained oak, so it takes a coat of primer and 2 coats of paint to finish. And it will take forever to cure. I’ve finished the door to the wash house and the kitchen door (pic below). Notice that it cures very quickly on my hands…

The kitchen door, framed glass, and very exposing without something over the glass. I want to stay in the 21st century, so I added a frosted film (Rabbitgo), with a 1/2″ clear border. It’s great! and I can walk in my kitchen au naturel…

Pending – the front door. I need more paint and a rest (at least 24 hours) from painting.

Meanwhile, sewing plans…

I’m making my son an Hawaiian shirt, white linen, using Kwik Sew 2935. I’ve measured him every way from here to Sunday for this project 🙂

And of course I’m sewing for myself. I ordered 3 yards of this gorgeous STOF France Zoya Multicolore linen for a Republique du Chiffon Gerard Manteau.

I won’t line it, I have a beautiful burnt orange voile for Hong Kong seams.

I’m grateful to be so busy. I’m feeling loved, my family stays in touch, and my son comes by for porch hellos. For which he gets Twizzlers and loop band bracelets.

I hope you are well also – Coco